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The Lothian Cycle Campaign

SPOKESWORKER 03 08 03

Spokes, The Lothian Cycle Campaign, St Martins Church, 232 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2JG 0131.313.2114 http://www.spokes.org.uk/


Spokesworker is an occasional ("roughly monthly") news sheet, with stop-press news of forthcoming events, and of road, traffic and planning matters. It is not automatically sent to all members. A copy is enclosed if we are writing to you anyway, and copies are handed out at working group meetings. You can make sure to get a copy by sending us 10 or so stamped addressed envelopes. Spokesworker also appears on our Internet web site - if you wish to be notified of such updates by email, contact spokes@spokes.org.uk.


COUNCIL BUDGET CUTS

Edinburgh Council has overspent its transport capital budget - thought to be due mainly to higher than expected costs on the new(ish) North Edinburgh Access Road, urgent flood defence work, and urgent replacement of rusty street-lighting columns which are now thought to be dangerous.

The Council has not yet decided how to find the money, but most transport budgets, including Cycle Projects and Safe Routes to School, are under threat. There is an extra risk to Cycle Project work... The Council succeeded in a bid for a large extra sum from the government's Public Transport Fund for cycle projects [Spokes 84, page 1], and those funds are ring-fenced for specific projects. However, there is a strong danger that the Council may feel that the 'ordinary' cycle budget should suffer disproportionate cuts as these ring-fenced projects will be going ahead anyway.

Please contact Cllr Andrew Burns urgently, asking for the full cycle budget to be protected [address at start of Cycle Forum article]. It would be tragic for the cycle budget to be cut in order to fund overspending on the construction of a new road!!

FORBES ROAD - OBJECT NOW!!

Forbes Road in Bruntsfield is a one-way road, with an exemption for cyclists. THE COUNCIL IS PROMOTING AN ORDER TO REMOVE THE CYCLIST EXEMPTION. PLEASE OBJECT!! CLOSING DATE FOR OBJECTIONS IS 15 AUGUST.

The Council has a policy exempting cyclists from all new one-way restrictions. This was done in Forbes Road by providing a contra-flow cycle lane [there are other methods]. Unfortunately the design was really bad, so the contra-flow lane is permanently blocked by parked cars. Instead of remedying the situation, the Council intends to remove the exemption and the cycle lane, making cyclists take the long way round. This may not seem a huge issue, but it is important for locals and is a vital issue of principle. If the Council gets away with it, they will be tempted to do so again and again whenever there is a little local difficulty.

It is not our job to tell the Council what is the answer, but there are several possibilities, such as double-yellow lines along the bike lane; or putting the lane outside the parked cars (with double yellow lines at the blind corner); or possibly return to two-way but with a one-way cycle-only 'plug' at one end.

We urge concerned members to write with a personal objection. Your letter MUST arrive by 15 August. Write to: The Director of City Development [Transport], PO Box 12474, 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh EH1 1ZL. At the start of your letter quote reference TRO/03/18, then say you write to object to the Forbes Road, Edinburgh One-Way Variation Order. Then give your reasons for objecting to the removal of the cyclist exemption. It is not necessary for you to suggest an alternative road layout, though if you know the area and wish to do so you can of course. You should receive an acknowledgement within a few days. Please send Spokes a copy of your letter.

Note ... Why is a supposedly cycle-friendly council promoting an Order detrimental to cyclists? We don't really know the answer, but it may be there are different parts of the bureaucracy which can to some extent start such things off largely on their own bat [this isn't for your objection letter]. If so, they should learn they are part of a council with policies to encourage cycle use!!

If you have time, also write to your councillor. Send a copy of your objection, ask them for support when the Council debates the objections, and ask why a cycle-friendly council is promoting an order which will make life more difficult for cyclists. You could also raise with your councillor any other local issues that concern you - perhaps the redundant Leamington Road one-way.

FOR YOUR DIARY

SEE ALSO SPOKESWORKER 11.07.03 AND SPOKES 85.

Spokes Sunday Rides Meet 10am, Usher Hall, Lothian Rd. Normally 1st Sun each month. Fairly gentle rides, 30-40 miles. Lunch at pub/café, or bring picnic. Showers won't stop us, but real bad weather may cause cancellation. We show the way, help breakdowns, wait for the less-speedy, and aim for a great time! You must ensure your bike is in good order, and ride carefully and considerately. You are entirely responsible for your safety. Children under 14 or unused to roads must come with an adult.

Dates: Sep 7 [picnic at Dave du Feu, Linlithgow. Free tea/coffee; bring own food] Oct 5 Nov 2. stuart@snowcycle.co.uk 445.7073. Note: Stuart has unfortunately broken his leg badly [while playing football]. He is still contactable, but meantime rides will be led by symondsmark@hotmail.com 662.1635.

CTC 'easyish' rides - similar to the above. All Sundays except first of the month, 10.00, Commonwealth Pool. [Note: depending on who turns up, this may be an 'easy' ride, or a 'hard' ride, or there may be both]. Mike 554.7773.

Spokes Cycling Weekends www.bikebus.co.uk 229.6274

Go-Bike! Strathclyde Cycle Campaign rides. 1st Sunday + some others. www.gobike.org 07932.460093 info@gobike.org.

Sep 21 Edinburgh Car-Free Festival [probably 11am-5pm] After last year's hugely successful inaugural event, with over 12000 participants, the West End of George Street will again be entirely car-free for an even bigger occasion. The aim is to demonstrate the pleasure of a car-free street and highlight the council's commitment to sustainable transport. There will be many stalls and activities/events by the council and others, both relating to the theme of the day and commercial 'market-type' stalls. If you know a relevant organisation that would like a stall, contact Richard Darke 652.5940 richardd@edinburghcc.com. Relevant publicity stalls are free, but commercial stalls are charged. After wavering last year, the council is fully committed this year and is inviting a huge range of local and regional councillors, MPSs and MPs. By turning up, you will help show them the demand for car-free developments and sustainable transport. We compliment the council on sticking to the term 'car-free' rather than the weak and watery 'in-town-without-my-car' label adopted by the government and some other councils. Spokes will have a stall. If you can help please see the slip at the end. We may be running some or all of the following activities... slogan competition / ideas book / politicians' sign-up / bike-part identification, cycleroute identification.

Sep 18 Buses & Accessibility in Scotland day conference, Perth, by Scottish Transport Studies Group. We are a STSG member so spokes members can attend for £70 instead of £100. 01786.448005 or conferences@stsg.org.

SPOKES EDINBURGH MAP

A Spokes Edinburgh Map year 2005 edition is planned, with research this autumn. Please send suggestions for content or style to imaxwell@gn.apc.org Ian Maxwell 669.6542.

LIMERICK COMPETITION

During National Bike Week Spokes ran a limerick competition at the Bike Breakfast and BikeFest. Limericks had to be related to bike use, and not rude or offensive [except perhaps to motorised boxes on wheels and suchlike matters]. The 25 or so entries were judged by Spokes Resources Group, each member voting independently, and the results totalled. The 4 top entries were within a gnat's crochet of each other, being separated by just one mark, so each wins a prize of the excellent new Spokes East Lothian map. The winning entries were...

First - Katherine Wake [Spokes member]

A cyclist, pedalling hard

found he lost much unseemly lard.

Thighs, buttocks and belly

stopped wobbling like jelly -

now he looks like a hunky lifeguard!

Second - Matthew Simpson [Edinburgh Council cycle officer]

Oh! to be out on a bike,

a tandem, recumbent or trike.

I'd be able to cut

the size of this gut

and be able to eat what I like.

Third - Angela James [Spokes member]

Tandem, recumbent or trike -

all methods of travel I like.

The fresh open air,

the wind in my hair.

Nothing beats travelling by bike.

Fourth - Gandolf [Spokes member]

A man down in Edinburgh town

got tired of driving aroun'.

He got on his cycle,

was soon fit and vital,

and stopped being a motorized clown.

Comments... We were proud to see that all winners were Spokes members or Council cycle officers - and the markers voted 'blind', not knowing the name of the poet concerned!! Clearly the cycle campaigning world contains a wealth of talent. We also noticed that two lines in different limericks were identical. However, we don't think there was any plagiarism - there aren't many words that rhyme with 'bike', and once you've thought of 'trike' then 'tandem' and 'recumbent' probably quickly come to mind, so 'tandem, recumbent or trike' is an unsurprising line.

EDIN COUNCIL CYCLE FORUM

The latest Council consultation forum was on 24 July. Some of the most important items are below. If any concern you, contact the Cycle Forum chair... Cllr Andrew Burns, City Chambers, High Street, EH1. Andrews.Burns@edinburgh.gov.uk.

'NUMBSKULL' DAILY MAIL

The following article appeared in Local Transport Today 10.7.3...

"A prominent TV journalist has attacked colleagues in the print media for their cavalier attitude to road safety.

Nick Ross, BBC Crimewatch presenter, said he was angered at how newspaper journalists believed that "driving is for fun, safety is for wimps and accidents are just one of those things". He admitted this was similar to how he saw things 20 years ago, and said that he developed an interest in road safety "by accident".

"Back in the early 1980s colleagues at the BBC challenged me to make a programme on the dullest, most worthy of subjects and after a little reflection they decided that road safety was the mother of all anoraks," he said.

In the article in the Guild of Experienced Motorists' magazine, Good Motoring, Ross said papers such as the Daily Mail gave the impression that "speeding isn't naughty and that law enforcement is tantamount to nanny state interference in our private lives.

"You know the sort of thing: the numbskull editorial line demanding the police should catch 'real criminals' instead of stopping motorists for speeding or that we should free ourselves from the menace of speed cameras."

He says that speeding remains "where drink driving was in the age before Barbara Castle and Peter Bottomley risked their political necks to change that culture."

 


SEPTEMBER 21 CAR-FREE FESTIVAL ... SPOKES STALL HELPER VOLUNTEER SLIP

Please volunteer for the Spokes stall [see Diary]. Please a.s.a.p. post this slip to Spokes or contact jackieh@waitrose.com 664.0526.



Name... Phone... Email...



Address... Postcode...



I can help at the stall at the following times [between 10am and 5pm]...



I can help with transport of goods for the Spokes stall ... Approx 10am / Approx 5pm [circle one or both]



I'm interested in organising a bike-related competition or activity ... YES/NO

If YES, please give details [note - we can't yet promise there will be space] ...

 

 
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SPOKES, St. Martin's Church, 232 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2JG

Tel: 0131 313 2114 (a/phone only) or e-mail to spokes@spokes.org.uk